What is Singlish you ask?
Singlish is a blend of English, Malay, Tamil, and various Chinese dialects. Even though English is widely spoken and understood on the island, many Singaporeans still sprinkle their everyday English with this unique, sometimes ridiculed, but always entertaining slang.
Authorities in Singapore initiated a Speak Good English campaign (is this even grammatically correct) in an attempt to stem it's use, but many of the population feel that Singlish is a natural progression of a language that blends so many different cultures together. Considering Singapore's population is composed of: Chinese, Malay, Indian, Eurasian, and other nationalities, this makes perfect sense, yes? Not always.
A few common examples. For more, read HERE.
Aiyoh An exclamation used to denote exasperation or irritation.
Usage:“Aiyoh! Look at this idiot!”
Translation: Ugh! What an idiot!
Alamak (the 'k' is silent) A Malay expression of dismay, surprise, or alarm; rumored to be derived from the Arabic “Allah Ma'ak” meaning, “God be with you” or “Allah maaf kar” meaning “God forgive you”. It is usually used in situations to express your utter disbelief that anything so horrible or idiotic could happen.
Usage:“Alamak! Why you go and do this sort of stupid thing?”
Translation: Oh my god! Why would you do something so stupid?
Blur Used to describe someone who is deficient, lacking, ditzy, or in a world of their own. Can also be used to describe the feeling of being dazed or 'out of it'. See also: “blur like sotong”
Usage:“Such a simple thing also cannot do. Why you so blur?”
Translation: You can't do something as basic as this either? Why are you so incompetent?
Blur like sotong One of Singapore's most popular similes, 'Sotong' is the Malay word for squid, and is used to reference the cloudy ink that a squid squirts, i.e., cloudy=blurry.
Usage:“Aiyoh! That ger, hor, blur like sotong. Explain to her donno how many times, she still catch no ball”
Translation: Ugh! That girl is so dense. No matter how many times I explain something to her, she still doesn't get it.
Can [1] Monosyllabic answer denoting one's ability to perform a requested task, i.e., yes, sure, of course [2] An adjective used to praise one for their abilities.
Usage [1]:
Tess:“May I try this on?”
Salesperson: “Can lah!”
Translation: Sure!
Usage [2]:“Of course he'll manage. He very can one!”
Translation: Of course he'll manage. He's very capable.
Can or not? Asking if something is possible or permissible.
Usage:“Wednesday after you've taken your lunch, come to my place and service aircon's. Can or not?”
Translation: Is it be possible for you come to my house this Wednesday, sometime after noon, and clean my air-conditioner's?
Lah This is the quintessential word in Singlish. It is used as a full stop at the end of a sentence. Contrary to popular belief, there are rules regarding it's usage, and the ability to do so correctly, marks a true Singaporean. Different tonal inflections placed on the word will also affect the emotion of the sentence. *Note: “lah” is never used in conjunction with a question.
Usage [1]: “Donno, lah”
Translation: Oh, I don't know.
Usage [2]: “I can repair, but motor old oready. No stock lah”
Translation: “I can repair it, but this motor has already been discontinued. I suggest you buy a new one.
As you can see, Singlish can take some getting used to. I only realized last week, that if someone greets me by saying;“Have you taken your breakfast already?”, they could literally be asking me “if I've already had breakfast”, or they might just be saying saying “Good morning”.
Alamak! I live in Singapore five years over oready, and still cannot make it. How can?
Translation: "God! You'd think after living in Singapore for over five years, I'd know better. How is this possible?"
Chao Liao!
Love,
Tess
